Gourmet Nobles
by Michiru Takahashi
Summary: Takeshi was raised by the dragon king in Area 4. Shizuka is her mother and is very well-known in the world. Kagetora is a ninja the outcast of the village. Michiru is an ex-convict weaponsmith with unbelievable secrets. Be prepared for the adventure of a lifetime! Also lots of pairings! (I do not own Toriko, Avatar, or any other anime references.) Please write good reviews;D
1. Profile: Takeshi

Name: Takeshi/Kiyomi "fierce warrior"/ "pure beauty"

Age: 21-25 (July 29)

Home: Area 4, Gourmet World

Kind: Human (Amazon)

Description: black hair, brown eyes that become elemental, several scars, tan skin, 175 cm (approx. 5 ft 9 in), wooden left arm

Personality: outgoing but can get serious in an instant

Weapons/Abilities: bending (air, earth, fire, water), high IQ, hiraikotsu, katana (Shinken), eternal flame, beats talk, slight telepathic and visioary abilities

Fear: seeing other people in pain, her inner self

Family: Midora (father), Shizuka (mother), Starjun (brother)

Occupation: Bishokuya/Cook/Tamer

Demon: Lilith (queen)

Animal Partner: Ryuu/Derous III (Dragon King)

Combo Partner: Sunny "Rainbow Hair/Sunny Day"

Friends: Sunny, Zebra, Toriko, Coco, Rin, Komatsu, Queen, Terry, Kiss, Yun, Derous II, Ryuu, Mansam, Ichiryuu, Tom, Jiro, Setsuno, Tina, Kagetora/Usagi, Kruppoh, sheba, Michiru, Hades, Tomoe, Lema, Bambino, Xana, Guinness, Branch, Rikky, Heracles


	2. Count on me (Bruno Mars)

Chapter 1

"I want to become strong, so I can go to the Gourmet World. And when I get there, I'm going to find you … because I want you to be my combo partner."

It's been 8 years since he told me that but I know he hasn't forgotten. He isn't that kind of guy. He's kind, smart, and even though he doesn't want to admit it, very protective over his family and friends. He is my best friend and I wouldn't trade him for the world.

I gathered the things to trade with the Human World vendors. I walked out of the cave and helped Ryuu, my dragon friend, put his harness on. I loaded everything onto his back and prepared to leave when I felt a slight pain in my head. Ryuu looked at me with concern.

"It's okay," I reassured him in beast talk. (Beast talk is the language that all beasts speak).

"Is it a telepathic message?" Ryuu asked curiously in beast talk. Thinking back, it sounded like someone was crying for help.

"Maybe. Let's take a little detour and check it out," I said slightly worried. I jumped on Ryuu's back and we headed towards the three way road. By the time we were almost there, I smelled the blood. Ryuu swooped down to land at a safe distance from the border of the Human World so as not get killed by Guemon. I saw something just ahead but when I finally got a good look at what it was, my heart sank. I slid off Ryuu's back and ran to the body. His soft rainbow-colored hair and smooth white skin were no longer as they once were for now, his hair was matted with blood and his skin was covered in cuts. His clothes were torn in several places and he didn't seem to be breathing. I pumped his chest and gave him air, hoping that he would finally open his eyes. And that he did, along with a jump in surprise and a grimace as he remembered he just had his ass handed to him by a young mother snake. Of course he was surprised to see his best friend, giving him CPR. _That was embarrassing._

"T-Takeshi! I never thought I'd see you so fast!" he said, rubbing his head. He hoped to play it coolly.

"Well, it's good to know you're not dead," I said with a warm smile. It was a bit of a surprise to see Sunny here and even more so that he got his ass kicked only minutes after he had stepped into the Gourmet World. _Now that I think about …_ I thought. I looked around.

"What is it?" Sunny asked curiously.

"What was it that attacked you?" I asked. Sunny obviously didn't want to remember that embarrassing moment. I sighed. Then she heard a hiss from behind her. Sunny stood up and faced the mother snake. I couldn't help but laugh. Sunny looked at me with confusion.

"Takeshi … Are you okay?" he asked.

"You got your ass handed to you on a silver platter by a baby snake?! Hahaha!" I said, laughing. Sunny rolled his eyes and turned to the serpent. I stopped laughing.

"Sorry I attacked you like that. No hard feelings?" he apologized as he held out his hand. There was a moment of silence. Then the snake did something very unexpected: she flicked her tongue and licked Sunny's face.

"Awwww! Sunny, she likes you!" I said. I was dying from laughter on the inside. Sunny turned to me with a skeptical look on his face but before he could say anything, the mother snake bolted forward and Sunny, Ryuu, and I were bucked up into the air. I quickly got on to Ryuu's back and he flew to catch up with the snake. Sunny, however, was clinging to a raised scale on the back of the serpent's head. Ryuu flew at top speed to meet Guemon at the border and tell him that Sunny and his "animal partner" were coming in from the Gourmet World. Luckily, an intuitive Yosaku already told him what was going on and Guemon let the two hooligans go through. Sadly, Yosaku had set up a trapping plant to catch them and they were stuck there while he chewed them out. Ryuu flew down to the ground and I hopped off his back, joining Yosaku and Guemon. I turned to Sunny and looked him in the eye.

"Now that the mother snake has trespassed into the Human World, you have two choices. Either she is to be killed … or to save her from that fate, you can take her as your animal partner and train her to live in this world. What do you choose?" I asked seriously. Sunny's eyes widened with surprise. He looked at the young snake. He explained the situation to her in beast talk and asked, "What do you choose?"

The snake seemed surprised that Sunny asked her opinion when he could have chosen for her. There was silence as she weighed her options.

"I know nothing of this world but … will you accept me as your partner?" she asked politely.

"Hell yeah!" he yelled with excitement. He then began to rant on and on about how beautiful she was.

"I'll take that as a yes," I said as I cut down the vines of the trapping plant with blades of wind. This pissed Yosaku off a bit.

"Hey! Do you have any idea how long it took to get that plant?!" he yelled. I ignored him and turned to Guemon.

"They've decided to become partners," I said. Guemon looked past me with a spaced out look. _There he goes again,_ I thought. I sighed as I walked back to Ryuu.

"Hey, Sunny! Do you and your new partner want to go with Ryuu and I to the market?" I asked. It's been 8 years since we've seen each other. This will be a good time to catch up.

"Hey, Takeshi! You're not allowed to do that! That thing ain't trained yet!" Yosaku yelled.

"I never was one for rules," I said. He smirked.

"You go, girl! Break those rules!" he called out as the four of us left. Along the way, I taught Sunny's partner how to behave among the humans. It seems that Ryuu has become a role model for her. After all, he is also a child of his species and he has only been here a couple of times to help me bring things to the market. I noticed that she had become very docile and was trying to fit in. We reached the market by about 2:00 in the afternoon and met with Tom. He bought the ingredients from me and I walked out to meet up with the other three. We were going to go on to Biotope 1 when I remembered something.

"Hey, Sunny," I said.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Have you thought about a name for her yet?" I asked. He froze.

"What?" he asked.

"A name. You can't just say 'Hey, you over there with the forked tongue,'" I said. Ryuu and the snake flicked their forked tongues. Sunny laughed.

"Sorry. I guess that wouldn't work either," I said, trying not to laugh. _Man, you guys sure are sassy today,_ I thought. Sunny turned to the snake.

"Do you have a name we can call you by?" he asked in beast talk. She shook her head. She had never been called anything but brat, kid, or the nicer term, young one. The thought of having a real name never crossed her mind. Sunny and I thought for a while.

"Well, she is the descendant of one of the eight beast kings. Maybe that will spark an idea," I said. Then we stopped and looked at each other. We turned to the snake with a big grin on our faces. She seemed to be somewhat intimidation by this and backed up a little bit.

"QUEEN!" we yelled at the top of our lungs. The look of confusion on her face was priceless. Sunny and I burst out laughing. Ryuu looked at us like we were idiots and continued to walk ahead of us. I had to run to catch up with him. When we finally got to the Biotope 1 main building, I was tackled by a small figure and pushed to the ground. When I looked again, I saw bright blue eyes like Sunny's and short black hair. I smirked when I recognized who it was.

"Who are you?" she asked as she studied my features. Sunny grabbed one of my legs with his hair wires and dragged out from underneath the young girl.

"Thanks, Sunny! Oh, and nice panties, Rin!" I said with a laugh. Rin blushed as she put her legs together and attempted to pull her skirt down a little.

"You perv! Wait a minute! Who the hell are you and how do you know my name?" she asked angrily. Sunny and I looked at each other, trying to hold back laughter.

"Wow. You don't recognize your own teacher?" I teased. Rin had a moment of realization.

"TAKESHI-CHAN!" she screamed as she ran towards me with her arms open to hug me. I yelped at the force of her body colliding with mine. Momentum caught up with us and we were flung into the wall. With all the noise, I wasn't surprised to see Mansom coming up the stairs to see what was going on. I struggled to get free of a clingy Rin.

"Mansom! Sunny! Help me!" I begged. Mansom looked at me with a smirk.

"Did you call me handsome?" he asked.

"Yes, I did," I winked, pointing finger guns at him. (Beast Mode Activated) He pulled the two of us apart and unintentionally threw us in different directions. Luckily, I was fast enough to run to the other side of the room and catch Rin just in time. Sunny and Queen held Mansom down while Rin went to get help. I hit a pressure point and knocked him out temporarily. Chief Ray and some others helped Mansom back to his quarters and asked some questions on what happened. After a report was taken, Sunny, Rin, Queen, Ryuu, and I walked downstairs to the lab. Queen and Ryuu went to a special room next to the bedrooms to rest from their long trip. Sunny and Rin went to their rooms for the night. I went around and visited some of the cloned beasts I had been friends with when I was younger and then went to my room. But I didn't go to sleep. Instead I went out to the balcony and surveyed the biotope below. I thought about all that had happened today. Normally, I would go back to the Gourmet World after a couple days but something is telling me to stay longer. Was it instinct or intuition? Was it my fortune teller blood? Or … was it her?


	3. Where the Lonely Ones Roam (Digital D

Chapter 2: Where the Lonely Ones Roam (Digital Daggers)

For the next few weeks, I stayed in the Human World. I met with Ichiryuu for the first time in 8 years and explained the situation with Mansom. I heard from Sunny that Toriko was on his way to the Gourmet World.

"Is he ready for it?" I asked. Sunny thought for a moment.

"No," he said, "but the situation is being taken care of already."

"Let's not tell Rin about this. She'll freak out," I said. Ichiryuu had given the Kings special tasks to prepare them for the Gourmet World. Clearly, Toriko was too impatient. I found out a bit later that his combo partner called Jiro and asked him to bring Toriko back. I'm kinda curious about this combo partner of his. Seems like a very talented person to me.

Ichiryuu gave Sunny a task in which he would have to go to Guemon. I decided I would go with him but I would stay in Area 4 while he is training.

We boarded the Gourmet Carriage, which is basically a couple of gigantic horses tied to a cruise ship on a huge railroad track. It normally takes years to get on the list for something like this. Much to our surprise, we met Coco, Toriko, and a smaller young man, who introduced himself as Komatsu. From the smell of gourmet spices on his hands, I could tell he was a cook. From all the rumors I had heard, there was a chef named Komatsu who became famous because he recreated the Century Soup. It's quite a feat if he beat Setsuno-sensei to it.

"So how do you guys know him?" I asked. They looked at me like I had been living under a rock all this time, which is actually kinda true.

"'Matsu is Toriko's partner," Sunny explained. Obviously, Sunny still had that very thick accent of his. _I guess in some ways, you've never changed,_ I thought.

"Oh, so you're the one who saved Toriko's bacon in the Gourmet World. It's nice to meet you. I'm Takeshi," I said, finally introduced myself.

"Wait! Takeshi?! Dragon Queen Takeshi, the bishokuya from the Gourmet World?! The Takeshi?!" he exclaimed. _Wow. This kid knows his stuff._

"In the flesh. Though I'm not just a bishokuya, you know," I said.

"Eh?" he asked.

"I'm a cook, too. Setsuno-sensei was my teacher," I explained.

"So cool!" he said.

"Of course she already had quite a talent in it before that," Sunny bragged, "which I think is beaut'ful."

"Sunny, your accent's comin' out again," I said.

"Hm? What accent?" he asked cluelessly. Coco and Toriko tried to stifle their laughter.

"You know what I mean," I said with a smirk.

"No, I don't know whatcha mean. I will have ya know that my manner of speakin' is beaut'ful," Toriko, Coco, Komatsu, and I burst out laughing. Sunny felt insulted by this.

"I'm sorry, Sunny. I didn't think you would get so offended by my little joke," I apologized.

"Hmph. Little joke," he muttered as he stormed off. I was concerned as I looked back at the others.

"Do you think I went too far?" I asked. They shrugged.

"Sunny-san does seem to be a bit prideful," Komatsu said. I thought for a minute. _I must've really hurt Sunny's feelings._

"I'll meet up with you guys later," I said, running back to the rooms. I stopped in front of his door and tried to open it with the key, but it must have been locked with a bolt. I sighed. _He must be really mad if he won't even let me in,_ I thought. However, I don't think he knows that I have a little trick up my sleeve. My eyes turned green as I used my metalbending to unlock the bolt. I slowly opened the door.

"Sunny? Are you here?" I asked. The room was dark. I walked to the bay window and opened the curtains to reveal a glaring Sunny sitting in front of it.

"Sunny Day, you're blinding me with that glare. You're gonna give yourself frown lines, you know," I said. His glare softened to an empty expression. I walked over and knelt down in front of him.

"Look, I really am sorry, Sunny. I really didn't mean to hurt your feelings. Will you forgive me?" I asked sincerely. His eyes widened in surprise.

"I-I guess I'll forgive you since you asked politely," he said quietly.

"Great!" I said excitedly as I pulled him up off the floor and dragged him to the door. I opened the door and dragged him down the hallway. Sunny could barely keep up.

"W-Where are you taking me?" he asked, nearly out of breath. I giggled to myself and looked at Sunny with a bright smile.

"You'll see when we get there," I said. Sunny was really curious of what she meant. They went out to the main deck. I unleashed my demon and opened my dragon-like wings. I picked Sunny up gently and gracefully flew up to the top balcony of the cruise ship. The sun was setting behind the ship as we travelled on into the darkness of the night. We leaned against the rail and watched the view for a while until three figures approached us.

"Awww! We missed the sunset! But the view's still nice," Komatsu said as he looked out at the twinkling stars. I couldn't help but smile. His cheerful personality is like that of a child and it's contagious.

"I forgot to ask: Where are you guys going?" I asked curiously.

"I'm on my way to the Jidal Kingdom," Coco said.

"I thought that place wasn't a member of IGO," I said, somewhat confused.

"It's not but the President gave me a mission there," he said.

"I see," I said, wondering what ingredient he was after.

"I'm going to the Three Way Road," Sunny said.

"I'll be going back to Area 4 while he's there," I explained before anyone could ask.

"What about you, Toriko?" Coco asked. Toriko sighed as if he knew that at some point we would ask that question. After a minute of silence, he looked at us and smiled.

"Would you guys go with me and Komatsu to visit Zebra?" he asked, putting his hands together.

"No!" Sunny and Coco said immediately. Toriko looked at me with pleading eyes. I sighed as I gathered my thoughts.

"First of all, I can't exactly leave the ship and get back on. Second of all, I've already met with Zebra. Third of all, you had better be glad that you're telling us this now rather than right before you got off because I know him enough to know that he has been training there. He would go on a rampage if he heard you guys rejecting Toriko's offer to visit him. Believe it or not, he's a sensitive guy," I said matter-of-factly. Sunny and Coco thought.

"See, Takeshi, I knew you could talk some sense into them," Toriko said.

"Even if I went to Honey Prison with you, it wouldn't be Zebra I'd be visiting. He knows this already and isn't offended by it," Coco said. I looked at him intently while everyone started talking about something else. Coco slipped away while this went on. I followed him down to a lower balcony. I could feel female eyes glaring at me as I walked up and stood next to him. _It must suck to be good-looking,_ I thought. Coco noticed me but didn't say anything.

"So who would you be visiting? A childhood friend perhaps?" I asked.

"Sometimes, I wonder if you're secretly a fortune teller," he said. I chuckled at that. After all, I did have a fortune teller for a mother. But they don't know that.

"Just woman's intuition. Anyways, carry on," I said. Coco sighed.

"You are correct. She is a dear friend of mine from before I came to as an apprentice bishokuya. Our relationship has gotten worse since then for some reason," he explained.

"Would you like some female advice?" I asked with a smile. Coco thought for a minute and then sighed.

"Very well," he said, hoping there was some way to mend the relationship.

"Perhaps she feels as though you abandoned her when she needed you most. If your friend is who I think it is, maybe she asked you to open your eyes to the world and understand that luxury is blinding you from the horrors of your past," I explained.

"Horrors of my past? You mean my life in the slums?" he asked. _It seems my guess was right,_ I thought.

"Possibly. So this friend of yours. Is she a redhead?" I asked like it was 20 Questions.

"Yeah. Why?" he asked.

"Is she a weaponsmith?" I asked, ignoring his question.

"Yeah. What is this about?" he asked again.

"Does she have one blue eye and one green eye?" I asked, ignoring his question again.

"Y-Yeah. Why are you asking me this?" he asked, hoping that I would finally answer his question.

"Now I know exactly who she is. Her name is Michiru and she's in prison for stealing food from Gourmet restaurants. She is well-known in poverty-stricken countries as their 'Savior'. She is very skilled in martial arts, first-aid, poisons, and craftsmanship. She reforged my dagger into a well-made katana, too," I said. Coco's eyes widened in surprise.

"What did you say about her skills?" he asked.

"She is skilled in poisons … like you," I said. Coco tried to sort things out but to no avail.

"I-I see," he said quietly, "I will retire to my room now. I will see you guys tomorrow."

With that, he left, still brooding on what he had just learned.


	4. Profile: Michiru

Name: Michiru "full moon"

Age: 23-27 (January 4)

Home: Yutou Island

Kind: Poisonous Human

Description: deep red hair, odd-colored eyes (blue & green), cross-shaped scar on chest, several other scars, tan skin, slave brand tattoo on upper back, ANBU tattoo on right shoulder, 6'1"

Personality: daring & stubborn but can be very kind

Weapons/Abilities: handgun, dagger, poison, martial artist, extremely high IQ, weapons/ammunition craftsman, medicinal and first-aid skills

Fear: watching her friends die, her past, Blue Nitros, her inner self

Family: Limon (adoptive sister)

Occupation: Craftsman/Cook

Animal partner: Hades (Devil Serpent)

Combo Partner: Coco

Friends: Coco, Takeshi/Kiyomi, Zebra, Kagetora/Usagi, Sunny, toriko, Rin, Komatsu, Tina, Tomoe, Melk II, Terry Cloth, Yun, Queen, Kiss, Hades, Sheba, Ryuu, Kruppoh

Demon: Poisoned Skeleton


	5. Centuries (Fall Out Boy)

Chapter 3: Centuries (Fall Out Boy)

 _Where am I? Why does this look so familiar?_ I looked around until I saw a little girl with choppy red hair, running towards the edge of a cliff. _Why does this feel so familiar?_ I ran towards her to stop her but as I reached for her hand, she fell down into the poisonous sea. I saw the look of fear on her face and noticed her odd-colored eyes. _Wait! I know where this is!_ I turned around to see what my younger self had seen: a Blue Nitro. He plunged his claws into my chest.

After that horrific shock, I woke up, gasping for breath. No matter how many times I dream that dream, it still scares the shit out of me. _I can never escape my past,_ I thought. I couldn't help but get angry by this. _I want so badly to be free._

"Hey, kid, you okay?" a familiar voice said. But there was no one there. _He must be using his Sound Bullet again,_ I thought.

"Yeah. Just another bad dream. That's all. Care for a morning stroll?" I said in a normal voice. I knew he could hear me with those ears of his.

"Only if you can break me out," Zebra said. I smirked. We had been incarcerated here in Honey Prison at the same time. We had a bit of a rocky start and fought a lot, but after a while, we recognized each others' strength and became good friends. We've been dubbed the "Red Terrors" by the guards and we're known to be co-conspirators. I would get him out of his torture chamber sometimes and we would wander around outside or beat up any monsters that pissed us off. I crept through the hallways quietly so as not to alert the guard beasts. I tiptoed over to Zebra's cell. He did his usual smirk and glare. I snuck inside and melted the chains with my poison. Zebra was the only person who knew I was a poisonous human. Even Coco, who was a childhood friend of mine, doesn't know of this secret I've been keeping since I was 5.

Zebra used his voice to knock out the guard beasts that guard his cell. We snuck out of the prison and jumped down into the monster-infested land below. Zebra trained by fighting them while I stood as a lookout in case anyone saw us. After about an hour, Zebra froze and turned towards the road with a grin. I followed his gaze to see a blue-haired man and a smaller guy.

"Company?" I asked curiously.

"In a way," he said with a smirk.

"Well, then let's go back now. It would be a shame if they arrived at the cell to find that you aren't there," I said as I started to run towards the prison. Zebra followed close behind me. We rushed into the prison and headed for his cell. Guards saw us and tried to use knocking guns on us. We shook them off and managed to get to his cell without getting caught by more guards. Zebra got back into his cell and I started to run back to my cell when I found myself surrounded.

"We've given you too much freedom, Red Terrors," one guard said, aiming a knocking gun at me. Zebra and I glared at him. He stepped back in fear. He wasn't a threat to me, nor were the other guards. It was the one I didn't see: Ohban. He had a knocking gun in his hand and I fell to the ground, paralyzed. I looked over to Zebra, wondering why he didn't warn me, but my question was answered when I saw that he had also been knocked. Some of the guards started to replace the melted chains. Another guard put chains on my wrists and dragged me to my feet, taking me to my cell.

I woke up a couple hours later and heard a commotion outside the door. Guards were running around one say, "Zebra's on a rampage!"

 _Zebra wouldn't really start the party without me, would he?_ I thought. I grinned evilly and melted the chains off my wrists with my poison. I then kicked the door down and calmly walked through the hallway like I had nowhere to be. I followed the loud noises to Zebra's cell. There, before the window, was the blue-haired man, the young boy, and Warden Love. They were covering their ears from Zebra's sound bazooka. I chuckled to myself. His sound bazooka, for some reason, doesn't work on me. I waited until he stopped for a moment.

"Ya done yet?" I asked with a no-fucks-given face. He smirked. With all the strength he had, he pulled at the chains and the chain beasts until the shackles shattered to pieces. _Showoff,_ I thought.

"Shouldn't you be in your cell, Michiru?' the midget warden said in a menacing tone. I wasn't fazed by this. She does this all the time but we all know she has no true physical power.

"So is he really gettin' outta this joint?" I asked.

"That is none of your business. Now I demand to know how you got out of your cell again," she said.

"Easy. The security here sucks," I said with a smirk. I could tell she was pissed by that insult.

"Um, Toriko, who's she?" I heard the small man ask the blue-haired one. I turned to them.

"The name's Michiru. Nice to meet ya," I said with a wave.

"Don't let her fool you with that innocent look of hers. She's a professional con artist and a thief," Warden Love said. I was pissed by that comment. I punched the jail cell wall next to me with all my might and it crumbled to pieces. Everyone froze in surprise at my sudden outburst. I turned to Love.

"You don't know a damn thing about me, bitch, so don't pretend like you do!" I screamed in her face. Then I stormed back to my cell and meditated to calm myself down.

"You should be glad it was the wall and not you. She's smarter than she looks and she has her reasons for getting out of here, too," Zebra said to Love, who in turn shivered at the thought of her small body crumbling to pieces like the wall. She led the three men to the main office. She pondered on Michiru's actions and walked down to her cell after making a call.

Someone approached my cell. It was Warden Love. She stood in the doorway but I didn't bother looking up from my meditation.

"I've received permission from the IGO president to negotiate your release as well," she said. I slowly opened my eyes.

"And what are the conditions?" I asked.

"You will follow the orders of the IGO. I have heard that you are very skilled as a weaponsmith, so you will also have to make 500 guns and 200 blades," she said. I thought for a minute.

"I would rather speak to the president face to face," I said finally. The warden sighed impatiently.

"There is a slight problem with that request," she said, "it's Monster Season. He won't be able to come here until the Season is over."

"All you need is the monsters gone, right?" I asked as I stood up. Love seemed somewhat confused by the question.

"Y-Yes, but –" she answered before she was cut off by me starting to leave.

"Then it's settled. Get Ichiryuu on the phone and look out the window," I said as I left to find Zebra. He was already outside on the roof, waiting for me.

"Ready?" he asked.

"I have a feeling that you really want to take on that Magma Tortoise, so I'll take the rest," I said with a smirk.

"Sounds fine with me," he said. I jumped down to the ground. The blue-haired guy named Toriko tried to stop me.

"Don't worry about her. She'll live," Zebra said. Everyone continued to watch as I fought the beasts. What they didn't see was that I was using a weak poison to scare them off. Zebra warned her about his upcoming move and she rushed back to the prison to get out of the range of his attack. A lightning bolt came down and fried the Magma Tortoise. I barely made it on the roof when this happened. We walked back inside to find Warden Love frozen in surprise. She had the phone to her ear but she couldn't speak a word. I took the phone gently from her hand and put it to my ear.

"The monsters are gone. It is safe to come here now," I said. There was a chuckle at the other end.

"You charm me, Michiru. Very well. I'll be there soon," Ichiryuu said. Then, he hung up. _Man, that idiot pisses me off._

"You know where I'll be," I said as I walked down to my cell.


	6. Hope of Morning (Icon for Hire)

Chapter 4: Hope of Morning (Icon for Hire)

The next day, I was taken to the main office. Zebra had already left yesterday with Toriko and the young man whom I had learned was Chef Komatsu. I would be walking into the Lion's den alone. I took a deep breath as the doors opened to reveal Ichiryuu, the president of the IGO, waiting for me. He invited me to sit down in the chair across from him and I quietly obeyed.

"So what are your demands?" asked. I gathered my thoughts.

"First of all, I should explain the reasoning behind why I steal from gourmet restaurants," I said.

"Okay," he said.

"When I was a kid, I lived in the slums of a poverty-stricken country. I know what it's like to be starving and helpless. The food I steal, however, isn't for me; it's for the people of the countries not supported by the IGO. And I will have you know that I will continue to steal until everyone gets three meals a day," I said, giving him a serious look. He seemed to be amused.

"I guess I can't really argue with that," he said with a laugh, "however I will take those people into consideration when I'm planning. Is there anything else you would like to bring to my attention?"

I thought for a moment, trying to remember anything else that I found important to say.

"I also have something to say about the weapon making condition. The amount of weapons you asked for is going to take a while because I go into a lot of detail and use good quality materials. To get those materials, I would need the help from a skilled bishokuya who isn't afraid to go into such places," I explained.

"So, are you saying you need an assistant to help you get the materials?" he asked.

"Precisely," I said.

"How did you your materials before now?" he asked.

"I have connections with the Gourmet Yakuza and Dragon Queen Takeshi. As you know, until just recently, Takeshi only occasionally came out of the Gourmet World. The Gourmet Yakuza has many other important things to do than help me get materials for guns or blades. Some materials I am able to get on my own," I explained.

"I see. Very well. I will arrange everything. Do we have a deal?" he asked, holding out his hand for a handshake. I sighed.

"I believe so," I said, shaking his hand. _What am I getting myself into?_ I wondered. I walked back down to my cell and gathered the things I had, though, it wasn't much. Love came into the room with the clothes I had first entered the prison with. It was cleaned and folded. I put it on remembering how it had been 3 years since I had worn it. It was a traditional long-sleeved purple Vietnamese dress with tight black pants and tall brown boots. I put the belt and its leather tongue hung down the center to my knees. I put on black fingerless gloves and a purple bandage headband over my forehead. The headband matched the dress perfectly. Lastly, I tied a green bandage around a small lock of hair. Coco had given it to me when we were kids and even though we aren't really talking to each other, I still see him as a friend. I grabbed my things and walked to the entrance of the prison. When I went outside, I found someone waiting for me. I dropped my things in surprise. _I know it's been 3 years and all but I didn't think he would grow so fast,_ I thought.

"Hades!" I cried as I ran to the devil serpent. I hugged him with tears in my eyes, "You're so big now!"

I had practically raised him since he was a hatchling. 5 years ago, I had stumbled upon the nest after I had accidentally killed his parents. He has always thought of me as his mother and he grows stronger everyday to protect me. The guards seemed surprised to see a devil serpent at their front door and were even more surprised to find that he was my animal partner.

"Let's go home," I said to Hades as I picked up my things and jumped on his back. He slithered into a tunnel that took us under the ocean to the Puffer Whale Caverns. We went up and out of the caverns after we removed the rocks from the entrance. We went up into the mountains until we reached our secret valley. There was a river that ran through the forest at the bottom. Right above this was a ledge and a cave opening that led to a labyrinth of tunnels. We took the left tunnel and entered the cold forge. The furnace hadn't been used in 3 years so it would be difficult to light. I went outside and gathered some fallen branches and twigs. I went back inside and started a fire in the furnace. Hades curled up in the corner and warmed his scales with the heat of the raging fire, falling asleep in its warm embrace. I took out some ingredients and prepared to cook them. _Tomorrow, I'll go to Nerg City with some of these ingredients. They'll be glad to see me,_ I thought.

The next day…

I collected more ingredients and left with Hades to the city. Some seemed afraid of him because it's not every day you see a gigantic snake in the slums. I saw movement in the corner of my eye.

"Mama Chiru!" a little girl screamed with excitement. She jumped into my arms just as I was tackled by many other children.

"Hey guys! I'm back!" I said as I tried to get up. _These guys should become football players and wrestlers someday. They're already pretty good,_ I thought.

"I brought you guys something. I need you guys to call everyone over here," I said as the children ran around, knocking on doors. I grabbed the bags of ingredients and found that the little girl was still standing next to me.

"Hana-chan, do you want to help me pass out food to everyone?" I asked. She didn't respond. I looked more closely at her and saw that her eyes seemed glazed over and her pulse was getting weaker and less stable. My eyes widened with surprise.

"Hana! Don't tell me you ate poisoned puffer whale?!" I exclaimed. Before she could answer, she passed out in my arms. I quickly ran into a friend's house and put Hana on the bed. I luckily had some puffer whale poison antidote to cure her. I made a makeshift I.V. and gently insert the needle into her arm. After an hour, Hana slowly opened her eyes and looked around.

"Mama Chiru?" she asked. Everyone outside the small house cheered happily. I walked over to her and gave her a hug.

"You'll be okay. You just need to drink a lot of water to get the poison out of your system," I explained, giving her a glass of water.

"I just wanted to try puffer whale. I didn't think it would hurt," Hana said, crying. People looked at me when I started laughing.

"I'll be right back," I said, running to the kitchen with a certain ingredient. I summoned my demon to find where the poison sac was and took it out in 2 seconds. I cut the whale into sashimi and walked back into the room with the large plate full of fish. Hana looked at me with big eyes. I put the plate down in front of her.

"This is real puffer whale," I said with a smile. Hana picked up a piece and slowly brought it to her mouth. As she ate it, she started to cry. But these were not tears of sadness, but tears of pure delight.

"I think everyone should try this," she said. I smiled in agreement.

"I have plenty more to go around," I said, "Can I get some people to help cook and pass food out?"

Several people volunteered and we all had a party, eating gourmet food. I stayed in Nerg City for a week to monitor Hana's condition. Then, I went back home to clean up a bit. Little did I know that a certain someone was waiting for me.


	7. One More Night (Maroon 5)

Chapter 5: One More Night (Maroon 5)

I walked to the entrance of the cave from the river to find an emperor crow standing there like he was supposed to be there. Hades let out a hiss. _Someone's here,_ I thought. I walked into the forge to see him sitting down at the kitchen table.

"What are you doing here, Coco? And how did you find this place?" I asked.

"I came here on orders to help you get materials. But before we go any further on that subject, I believe it's best we resolve our problem first," he explained.

"I don't see what there is to discuss," I said, subconsciously fiddling with the green bandage ribbon in my hair. Coco noticed this and chuckled to himself. _I guess she's not_ _that_ _mad at me,_ he thought.

"There's something I've been meaning to ask you for some time now," he started, getting back to business.

"Okay," I said.

"A friend told me you were skilled in poisons but I don't remember you dealing with anything like that. Is there something you're not telling me?" he asked. I couldn't tell if I was more surprised or angry. _Who told him? Zebra? No. He's not the kind of person who would do that. But Takeshi would. She probably thinks it's best for me._ I thought for a minute, deciding whether I should tell him or not. Finally, I gave in.

"Do you remember me warning you not to bring attention to yourself now that you're a poisonous human?" I asked.

"Y-Yeah. I'm regretting my actions now," he said quietly.

"I didn't want to see you go through what I had to go through," I explained. Coco's eyes flickered in surprise.

"Don't tell me you're –" he said before he was cut off.

"A poisonous human," I said, finishing his sentence, "but at least I'm not afraid to be around people like you are."

"I never said I was afraid!" Coco argued.

"Admit it. You're afraid you'll poison someone. That's why you always keep everyone at arms length," I said. Coco was silent.

"Poison is dangerous and should be handled with caution," he finally said.

"That may be true but are you just going to lock yourself away because of it? You just need to be more confident that you can control it and you'll be fine," I said, walking into the food pantry to get some ingredients to cook for lunch.

"Clearly, you are good controlling yours because you seem perfectly normal to me," he said as I walked out with the ingredients. I shot him a glare, summoning my gourmet demon, which looks like a skeleton, dripping in toxic poison. Coco seemed quite intimidated by it and nearly fell back in his chair.

"W-What is that?" he asked. Without realizing, he let out his demon and there was a standoff between the two monsters.

"That is my gourmet demon. Also, there's another major difference between us: while you use Human World poison, I use Gourmet World poison, though the toxicity varies," I explained. I turned back to the ingredients. Coco followed my look and saw something unmistakably familiar in my hands.

"Is that … a puffer whale?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yep," I said as I grabbed a knife.

"Do you even know how to prepare it? It is a special preparation ingredient, you know," he said.

"Watch me if you don't believe me," I said as my demon told me where the poison sac was. I took the knife and cut the fish open, revealing the poison sac. Coco watched in fascination as I gently removed the sac and disappeared into the food pantry to put it carefully in a special jar. I would use this later for research and to make more of the antidote. I walked back out to the kitchen.

"Amazing! I've never seen such precision without guidance!" he said in astonishment. He hadn't seen my demon. I decided to lightly fry the fish and sprinkle some spices on it. I went on to cook some sides. Kiss and Hades entered the cave to investigate the good smell. I put the food on the table and went on to give some to the two curious beasts. Coco tried some of the fish and froze after one bite. I looked at him with concern.

"Are you okay? You look a bit zoned out," I said. Coco blinked.

"Y-Yeah. It's just … Have you ever considered becoming a professional cook?" he asked. I chuckled to myself. "I'll take that as a compliment," I said with a smile. I could have sworn Coco was blushing. I didn't say anything though.

After lunch, everyone gathered outside the cave.

"I think the reason Ichiryuu sent you to me was not just because I need the help of a skilled bishokuya. Knowing him, he probably knew that we knew each other and also about my poison ability. He probably wants you to use this opportunity as part of your training for the Gourmet World," I explained.

"So how many weapons do you have to make?" he asked.

"500 guns and 200 blades," I said like it was nothing.

"That many?! This will take a while," he said

"Not necessarily. All you have to do is get the materials. I'm the one making them into weapons," I said.

"I guess you have a point. What do I need to get?" he asked.

"I still have some things to decide but it's not too bad. I have 350 guns and 150 blades. That leaves 150 guns and 50 blades to make," I explained.

"I see … Out of curiosity, where have you been for the past couple days?" he asked.

"Nerg City. I went there to drop off food about a week ago. A friend of mine ate some poisoned Puffer Whale and I stayed longer to watch over her after giving her treatment," I said.

"Oh," he said, remembering his conversation with Takeshi. _'Savior',_ he pondered.

"So how many tasks do you have left?" I asked.

"Counting this one, five," he said, "I just came back from a mission in Jidal Kingdom."

"I see. It must have been tough considering it's a country outside the IGO. It wouldn't have been so hard if I came along with you. The royal family knows me and lets me into the country all the time," I said with pride.

"Really? Maybe I should join one of your crazy adventures one of these days," he said jokingly. All of a sudden, a carrier pigeon dropped a heavy package on me. Coco had to pull me out from underneath it. I looked back at the package to find a note on top.

 _I request the skills of a professional weaponsmith to repair my sword. You will be heavily rewarded. ~Match_

"If it's his sword, then why such a big box?" I asked. I opened the massive box to find the sword and a bunch of semi-rare ingredients.

"So is this how customers pay you?" Coco asked.

"No. Only Match. He knows that I deliver food to the slums from time to time," I said. There was an awkward silence.

"Are you still dwelling on your past?" he asked finally. That hit hard.

"So what if I am? You know just as well as I do that there is no way to escape the past. You may be trying to run away from it but me … I embrace it like death itself. There is no way I am going to turn my back on these kids. They cry for help but no one answers. I'm going to change that and give them the future they deserve," I said with a flicker of hope in my odd-colored eyes. Coco was speechless until he did something I never thought he would do.

"You're right," he said.

"What?" I asked, surprised

"You're right about everything. I've been trying to run away but end up right back where I started. And I am afraid that I'll poison someone. And I admit I'm not at all confident in my power," he said, "And you're the only one who has and will ever criticize my faults because you are the only one who has ever truly known me for who I really am."

He gazed at me with his soft brown eyes and I slightly blushed. _I may know everything about you, but you hardly know a thing about me,_ I thought to myself. I took a deep breath to calm my throbbing heart.

"I'll take that response as consent for your training. Meet me here at dawn 5 days from now," I said with a smirk.


	8. Profile: Kagetora

Name: Kagetora/Usagi "Shadow tiger"/"Rabbit"

Age: 21-25 (April 15)

Home: Area 5, Gourmet World

Kind: Human

Description: blonde hair, green eyes, burn on half of face, tan skin, several other scars, 6'3", ANBU tattoo on right shoulder

Personality: reserved and antisocial until familiar with you; very loyal

Weapons/Abilities: high IQ, beast talk, kunai, shuriken, staff, flutist, martial artist, singer

Fear: watching her friends die, being alone, being betrayed

Family: Kurotsuki (father), Chifuyu/Tomoe (younger sister)

Occupation: Ninja/Bishokuya/Cook

Animal Partner: Sheba (two-tailed demon cat) _{Think Kerara from Inuyasha}_

Combo Partner: Zebra

Friends: Takeshi/Kiyomi, Zebra, Sunny, Coco, Toriko, Rin, Komatsu, Quinn, Terry Cloth, Kiss, Ryuu, Yun, Lema, Hades, Sheba, Xana, Mansam, Gourmet Knights, Rikky, Ichiryuu

Demon: Jinko


	9. Not Gonna Die (Skillet)

Chapter 6: Not gonna die (Skillet)

 _Is this a dream or reality? Am I_ _really_ _about to be killed by a dragon? Me? One of the strongest ninjas in the village? I don't understand. Why is this happening to me? And where is that idiot when I need her?_

My vision is starting to blur into darkness when I see a small figure running towards me. And then, I fall into the oblivion of my consciousness.

When I wake up, I find that Takeshi is handling my clothes. Wait! I lift up the blanket that's been covering me to find that I'm completely naked.

"Um, Takeshi? You wouldn't happen to have something I can change into, would you?" I asked, quietly. Without taking her eyes off her work, she pointed to the table next to me. There was a white tank top and a green skirt.

"Is this a joke?" I asked, not at all amused by this ridiculous attempt to be kind to me.

"No. It's the only pair of clothes I've got that'll fit you, so stop complaining and put it on. Unless, of course, you decide to go nude while I work on these rags of yours," she replied coldly.

"They're not rags!" I screeched.

"After being torn to shreds by that dragon, they are," she said. That shut me up. I didn't want to remember that.

"So where have you been all this time?" I finally asked.

"I've been in the Human World for a couple months now," she said.

"What?! Why?! Do you realize how much this has affected Area 4?!" I exclaimed in disbelief.

"I finally met him and I can tell that the Human World needs me," she said.

"But Area 4 needs you more! Besides you're the –" I said before I was cut off.

"How would you know? You've never gone to the Human World," she said. I thought for a minute.

"Fine. Then how about I go with you the next time you go?" I asked.

"Will the chief let you go?" she asked.

"Yeah, about that. He got a message from the IGO president and is sending me to the Human World. I figured I would go with you since you've been there before," I explained.

"I see. I'll be leaving in a few weeks probably. Sunny should be done with his training by then," she said.

"So, what's so special about this Sunny guy again?" I asked.

"He's an old friend who's training to come here to the Gourmet World and make me his combo partner," she explained.

"It's been 8 years and he still hasn't come here successfully. You might as well just give up on him or become his partner already because there's no way he's going to make it," I said negatively.

"You don't know him like I do," she said, defensively.

"You're right. I don't. I guess I'll have to meet him," I said with a smirk. She threw my clothes at me and I put them on.

"Sometimes I wonder why I'm friends with you, Mr. Sassy Pants," she said with a laugh. _Good. She didn't forget,_ I thought.

"So what kind of training is he doing?" I asked curiously.

"Considering he's with Guemon, he's probably training his mind and concentration," she said.

"I see. So how do we know when he's done?" I asked.

"I gave him a long-distance signal flare. He'll set it off when he's ready to go back," she explained. That signal flare went off about a week later, which is much sooner than we expected. We grabbed our things and went out to meet Ryuu.

"You didn't bring Sheba for the mission?" she asked.

"No. I asked her to protect the village while I'm gone," I replied as we got on Ryuu's back and flew to the Three Way Road. There was a man with rainbow-colored hair and an older man who seemed really spaced out waiting for us. Ryuu landed on the ground and Takeshi and I hopped off, landing softly in front of the two men.

"I see you've brought a friend with you," the rainbow-haired man said, welcoming us.

"Hey, Sunny. This is Kagetora. Kagetora, this is Sunny," Takeshi said, introducing us. I waved but didn't say a word. He seemed to be looking me over.

"Are you a ninja?" he asked curiously. I nodded.

"I see. You're kinda – what's the word – small," he said. I wanted to laugh. _Sure I'm thinner than this guy but I'm at least 2 inches taller with an even bigger ego,_ I thought. I glared at him.

"Anyway, are you guys ready to go?" Takeshi asked, hoping to stop the fight before it started. I turned around abruptly and jumped up onto Ryuu's back. Takeshi and Sunny followed. We flew to a place called Biotope 1. I followed them downstairs into a gigantic research lab. It was actually quite fascinating. A large bald man walked up to me. I could smell the alcohol on his breath.

"You must be Kagetora. Feel free to stay here as long as you want," he said. I nodded and wandered around until I found a balcony to perch on as I watched the sunset. I stayed there for a couple of hours. I sensed a familiar presence. It was Takeshi.

"You weren't at dinner," she said.

"So?" I asked, not bothering to look at her.

"I know this is new to you and all but you gotta learn to be more social," she said.

"And if I don't?" I asked, curiously. She sighed.

"Why must you be so stubborn, Kagetora?" she asked. I smirked.

"'Tis only natural," I said, jokingly.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. I brought you some food," she said, handing me a plate and chopsticks. I hesitated.

"Don't worry. I didn't poison it …" she reassured me. I picked up the chopsticks and pulled down my mask. I brought the food to my mouth and was about to take a bite when she said, "… much."

 _This is not the time to joke, you idiot,_ I thought.

"Usagi Chop!" I yelled as I karate-chopped her head.

"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! You jerk!" she screeched as she rubbed her head to get rid of the pain.

"Hmph," I mumbled as I ate my food quickly and put my mask on before anyone else saw my face. I gently placed the plate and chopsticks on the balcony and jumped down to the ground for a midnight stroll. I was somewhat surprised by the different kinds of creatures they had here. And I guess someone else shares my love for walking under the moonlight.

He was certainly strange and had a threatening aura around him but I wasn't afraid. I could tell he had seen many battles and his most distinguishing features: slicked back dark red hair, furrowed eyebrows, dark eyes, and a large tear extending from the corner of his mouth to his ear, revealing his pointed teeth, were illuminated by the moon's glow. I knew he saw me because he was glaring at me in a way that if I looked away, he would've killed me. I felt as though I was meeting Death himself … or Zebra. Whichever you prefer.


	10. This is War (30 Seconds to Mars)

Chapter 7: This is War (30 Seconds to Mars)

He seemed amused by the fact that I didn't run away like the beasts around me. I was amused as well and was in the mood to fight anyway. Since he looked pretty strong, I pulled out my favorite weapon: a three-piece diamond bamboo staff. I quickly fastened the pieces together and bolted towards the giant. He grinned evilly and sent a series of voice bullets at me, which I dodged flawlessly. I leaped over him and before he could register that I was behind him, I swung the staff into his side with so much force that he was sent at least 1,000 feet away. This pissed him off. _How can I be getting my ass kicked by a shrimpy little bastard?!_ he thought.

"Don't be getting' cocky, asshole!" he yelled in a rage. I smirked. _Good. Now he's motivated._ I'm not going to get into a lot of detail on our little spar, but it did end in a draw. We were so beat up and gasping for breath as we lay on the ground, unable to move. I started to laugh.

"The hell's wrong with you?" Zebra asked.

"This is probably the first time I've ever had so much fun in a fight. All the others until now have been pretty boring. Thanks for givin' me a challenge for once," I said.

"Same to you. But this ain't over. I will kick your ass next time," he declared.

"Well, then I believe it is only right that you should know my name so you can find me. I am known as Kagetora. It's a pleasure to meet you …" I trailed off after I realized I didn't know his name either.

"Zebra," he said, "And I will hunt you down, you got that?"

"We'll see, Zebra-san," I said with a smirk.

"Cocky bastard," he muttered under his breath.

"Well, guess I should get going now," I said, getting up like I was completely uninjured. Zebra was shocked by this and was about to ask how I was already able to get up so easily, but I was already gone. He turned his head in the direction I had gone and found some medicine for his wounds, a bottle of water, and some onigiri. He felt somewhat insulted by this act of kindness but took it anyway. He picked up an onigiri and took a bite. His eyes widened in surprise by the burst of flavor that entered his mouth and he scarfed down the delicious food. _A cook, huh?_ He thought. After a while, he got up and left to hunt down another ingredient.

I went back to the main building and was greeted by a pissed off Takeshi.

"Where the hell have you been?!" she screeched.

"On a stroll," I said as I tried to slip past her.

"Well then what's with all the cuts and bruises?" she asked.

"I fell out of a tree," I lied. She looked at me with a no-fucks-given face.

"Wow. I didn't think you were that clumsy," she said. I sighed. _It's not worth the fight,_ I thought. I ignored her griping and continued on to talk to Mansam. I knocked on the door and entered the room to find that he's drunk again. _What the hell's wrong with this guy?_

"Pardon the intrusion, sir, but I'd like to request an audience with the president as soon as possible. Could you possibly arrange that for me?" I asked politely.

"I'll try but don't expect anything. He's a busy man, you know," he said.

"Understood," I replied. I left the room and went down to what was known as the Gourmet Coliseum. It angered me that people were making a spectacle of watching animals fight, but I didn't do anything. If I had, at least 1 person would be dead. I walked out like I hadn't seen anything and never went in there again. _Humans are despicable,_ I thought.

A couple days later, I finally met with President Ichiryuu.

"You must be Kurotsuki's messenger. Nice to meet ya," he said, shaking my hand.

"Might I ask why you are getting us involved in your exploits?" I asked with a slight glare.

"Going straight to the point, I see," he muttered to himself before looking back at me, "I plan to go to the Gourmet World I wanted Kurotsuki to join me. However, I don't really trust that my boys are ready to take over when I'm gone. I was wondering if you in particular, Kagetora, could guide them and help them train to go to the Gourmet World for me."

I thought for a minute. _How bad could it be?_

"I will consider it," I said before I turned around to leave, "but don't take that as a guaranteed yes."

"He's a strange one," he said to himself. I returned to Biotope 1 and sat on the balcony, looking out into the distance. _What am I getting myself into?_


	11. Profile: Hanatsuki

Name: Hanatsuki "flower moon"

Age: 5-9 (November 17)

Home: Nerg City, Human World

Kind: Poisonous Human

Description: long light brown hair, gray eyes, 3'6", fair skin

Personality: friendly and helpful but also a bit nosy

Weapons/Abilities: poison, high IQ, languages, writing

Fear: being helpless, being alone, watching her loved ones die, poisoning others

Family: Coco (adoptive father), Michiru (adoptive mother)

Animal Partner: Morse (carrier balloon pigeon)

Friends: Coco, Michiru, Takeshi/Kiyomi, Kagetora/Usagi, Sunny, Zebra, Toriko, Rin, Starjun, Limon, Morse, Yun, Komatsu, Kiss, Hades, Ryuu, Terry Cloth, Quinn, Tina, Kruppoh, Jiro, Mansam, Ichiryuu, Setsuno, Gourmet Yakuza, Gourmet Knights, Melk II

Demon: Medusa (snake demon)


	12. Demons (Imagine Dragons)

Chapter 8 (Demons - Imagine Dragons)

Some may find this an odd situation, but here I am sitting outside a classroom window, listening to the lesson. I've always loved to learn and Mama Chiru says I'm really smart for my age. I've been doing this for the past year because I don't have the money to go to school. I'm only able to catch bits and pieces of what the lady up front is saying but it's okay. When Mama Chiru comes back, maybe she'll read from one of her books. Sometimes, she'll leave the book with me so I can decipher its many mysteries. The older kids think I should sell the books so I'll have money to eat but there's no way I could do that. My stomach growls. Well, I guess all this thinking has made me hungry. I slip out of the school grounds quietly and skip to the black market. Once I get there, I slow down to a walk and try to blend in with the crowd as I look at all the ingredients.

"How about an electric banana this time?" I mumbled to myself. I quickly grab the ingredient and dash into the alley. I grin at my new accomplishment: stealing. I trot on home to my little tent, eating the electric banana along the way. Ever since the puffer whale incident, I've been able to eat all sorts of black market ingredients, while others die with just one bite. I never really understood this ability. Why is the reaction different with me? What am I? I ponder this until I finally reach my little home. If you can call it that. My joyful face changed to that of utter shock and horror. The tent was completely destroyed. I ran to it and rummaged around, looking for my most valuable possession: Mama Chiru's book. It was nowhere to be found. Then, a couple of kids holding poison potatoes walked by.

"That girl is a fool! Just look at how much we got for that stupid book of hers!" they laughed. I don't know what possessed me to run towards them. I was furious. How could they sell Mama Chiru's book like that?! Here I am standing right in front of them. They seemed to be getting nervous.

"O-Oh. Hi, Hana. W-Wanna eat some of this poison potato we got?" One of them asked.

"Where is the book?" I asked, glaring at them. The oldest of the kids stepped forward, towering over me. He was at least 12.

"We sold it and there's nothing you can do about it," he grinned sinisterly. He took the poison potato and handed it to me. I gave him a questioning look.

"Taste it for me, will you? I want to make sure it's safe to eat," he said. I looked at the potato for a second and hesitantly took a bite. The boy watched me as I swallowed it with no side effects. He snatched it out of my hands and hungrily scarfed it down without giving any to the others. After a couple seconds, he collapsed to the ground, dead. I inched back in fear.

"You freak! How come you're still alive when he just died on the spot?! Stay away from us, you monster!" The others said as they ran away. I inched back in fear, looking at the dead body. Why must we go so far just to get food? I thought. People started to gather around me.

"What have you done?! You monster!" The boy's mother screamed.

"W-Wait! It isn't what it looks like! I promise!" I said, scared by what they'll do to me. All of a sudden, my body began to feel warm and my eyes started to sting.

"You will pay for what you've done, you demon!" Another person yelled. I closed my eyes tight, wishing that someone would save me.

"Did someone say 'demon'? I'll show you a real demon," a voice inside of me scoffed. I opened my eyes and they felt like they were burning. When I finally realized what had happened, I was horrified. Everyone had turned to stone! I ran from the scene back to my ruined tent and huddled underneath it.

"So this is the brat I get? What a wimp!" The voice said. I looked around me.

"Who are you? And where are you?" I asked.

"I'm right next to you," it said. I turned my head to see a strange being. From the waist down, it had the body of a serpent. It had sharp claws and its hair was that of snakes. I felt as though I couldn't move.

"I am known as Medusa," it said, "and I am your Gourmet demon."

"I don't like you," I said plainly.

"Too bad. We're stuck together," she said. I thought for a minute.

"How did those people turn to stone?" I asked.

"It's one of my abilities as your demon. My eyes can turn people to stone. I can also adapt to the poison in your body," she said.

"Poison? What do you mean?" I asked.

"I recall that you ate a poisoned puffer whale, thus summoning me. The poison is still in your system and has changed your insides drastically," she explained. I looked down at my hands. They started to change to a dark purple-and-white splotched color. My eyes widened in surprise.

"W-What's happening to me?" I asked shakily. The demon grinned.

"It seems that the poison has finally reached your skin cells. You are now a poisonous human," she said. I ran out of the tent into the dark streets.

"You can't run away from me. I'm a part of you now," she said. She's right. I know it, but I don't want to accept it. Why? Why did this happen to me? Does this mean I can never be near people? Will I never see Mama Chiru again? I punched the wall in frustration.

"Curse you, world!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. Then I started to cry. It started to rain. I leaned against the wall, slid down it weakly, and pulled my legs close to my body. Even though my body is full of lethal poison, why do I feel so empty? Is this what it feels like to truly be alone? I continued to cry until at some point, I fell asleep.


End file.
